O/T: Sciatica help

[Rocco1943]

Hi guys, I hope I've done this correctly. I'm having my second go around with some pretty severe sciatica. The first time was several months ago and ended up at the docs with an injection of cortisone, some muscle relaxers and some pain meds specifically for muscle pain with absolutely no help. It gradually went way ofter about 6-8 weeks. This time much worse and came on in the middle of the night with no idea of what triggered it. My questions are: any idea how to ease or shorten the pain and duration and also any help with what to do therapy wise to keep it away or at least make the next one manageable? Currently taking my usual doses of percocet for arthritis and using a cane with much difficulty.

appreciate any hep you can give. (hurry, it hurts.lol)

 

[maldorf]

Chiropractor

Did you see or are you seeing a chiropractor now? I am having low back issues and seeing one has helped me, but your problem is more advanced. Right now they are putting me on a device that stretches me out and helps to alleviate pressure between the lumbar vertebrae. The treatment seems to help. They also use electrostim which helps but not as much.

At home I bought an inversion table which I try to use once a day at least, and that has helped some too. https://www.amazon.com/Teeter-EP-96...eywords=teeter+inversion+tables+for+back+pain This inversion table uses your own bodyweight to stretch you out and you can vary the angle which will vary the amount of pull. The table at the chiropractor is now pulling me with 100 lbs of force and then relaxed to 80 pounds, then back up again. It cycles like that for 15 minutes. The table at his office works better than my home table because all of the force is in the lumbar wheras at home it is spread down my whole column.

If you are not doing any exercise now you are going to want to figure out someway to get more mobile and get blood flowing to your low back to aid in healing. Lots of stretching. When I stretch each day I feel much better. I have pain daily.

I hope that the doctors can help you out. I don't have any experience specifically with sciatica but I thought it might be helpful for me to mention what has helped me out some. The trouble in sciatica as far as I know originates in the lumbar vertebrae area. My step mother has it really bad now and is in a rest home living in assisted living. She is 76 years old though.

 

[OutToLunch]

Being on otc painkillers was a game changer while it ran its course and got better.

 

[11sh11]

If youre not stretching your legs regularly, you should be. Deep tissue therapy, ART, both helpful. The sciatic nerve becomes compressed between glutes maximus and medius, so rolling this area on a tennis ball can help. Once the fascia loosens up, keep it that way.
Foam rolling of the upper quads and hip flexors, IT bands helps. Maxing sure your legs are relaxed and loose enough so that your feet point more forward than outward. This is a good indicator, external rotation, that your sciatic is being compressed
The second part of this is to strengthen glute medius with abduction movements. This is a typically weak muscle
With regular stretching and good body mechanics, it doesnt have to come back

 

[Rocco1943]

Maldorph, the last time I was headed out of town and would not be here for multiple treatents, so I wet to the Dr. which didn't help. I plan on calling the chiro tomorrow, he usually gets me in on the same day.

11sh11, I guess a good deep massage would help also. I just remembered that I still have the therapist's phone number from when I had knee surgery and I think I will give him a call tomorrow for some exercises to stretch and keep things healthier.

thanks to you both

 

[Dens228]

Foam rolling, stretching, especially the hip flexors, will help.
But it all came together and completely alleviated the issue when I bought and started using inversion boots. I start every workout hanging upside down.

 

[Rocco1943]

Dens, I will probably check into in inversion table, but being a fatass with both knee replacements I don't trust them to stay together hanging upside down. Lol

 

[Dens228]

Definitely check with a doc first. I was hanging after leg workouts too but after a few weeks I did experience a small amount of knee soreness which stopped as soon as I stopped hanging after the workout.

 

[ALLEX]

Betamethasone shots.

 

[Rocco1943]

Alex, I just checked the office notes from the last visit. I thought I had gotten cortisone, but turns out it was Betamethasone, but it didn't help.

 

[ALLEX]

Alex, I just checked the office notes from the last visit. I thought I had gotten cortisone, but turns out it was Betamethasone, but it didn't help.

I'm not sure what to tell you then...

Physiotherapy, heat pads, stretching and let it run it's course.

For the pain, I was gonna say voltaren and dipyrone shots, but can you get them where you are?

 

[MooseKnuckles]

Is the pain caused from something pushing on the nerve, I just had L4/L5 surgery to relieve my pain from a herniated disc, sciatic pain was horrible.

 

[maldorf]

Dens, I will probably check into in inversion table, but being a fatass with both knee replacements I don't trust them to stay together hanging upside down. Lol

The one I linked is pretty heavy duty and if you read about it on that page it should say how many pounds it can hold safely. I am thinking it is over 300 lbs. I weigh 240 lbs and it is fine with me. The one I linked I am pretty sure is the same model as mine.

 

[maldorf]

Definitely check with a doc first. I was hanging after leg workouts too but after a few weeks I did experience a small amount of knee soreness which stopped as soon as I stopped hanging after the workout.

The table will work fine because you can start out at a lower angle that develops less force at first and then each week you let out the strap to allow the board to go a bit deeper. I am still not at 90 degrees and I have been doing it for months now. Gradual is better.

The decompression table at the Chiro's office is a lot better though. Only using 100 lbs pull now but it is plenty. The doc said he never really goes over 120 lbs on that.

 

[Rocco1943]

Well a little update. I had a chiro session yesterday and today and feel a little better, not great but able to see some progress. It is L4 & L5 that are pinching the nerve. The Doc did a couple of X-rays and said they were bulging to the front which was unusual and said I must have had a lower back injury when I was young and oddly enough when he said that I remembered falling off of a swing on to a brick floor butt first but bent backwards somewhat and it was quite painful for some time.

I want to thank all of you for your advice and help. It's pretty nice belonging to a board that actually tries to help, unlike a lot of boards who respond with smart assed remarks or an attempt at humor. Gee, you guys actually respond like adults, go figure .lol

 

[MooseKnuckles]

Have you had an MRI done?

 

[Rocco1943]

No MRI yet. I'll see how this goes and if I'm able to keep it at bay. If either one is a no, then I probably will.

 

[maldorf]

Well a little update. I had a chiro session yesterday and today and feel a little better, not great but able to see some progress. It is L4 & L5 that are pinching the nerve. The Doc did a couple of X-rays and said they were bulging to the front which was unusual and said I must have had a lower back injury when I was young and oddly enough when he said that I remembered falling off of a swing on to a brick floor butt first but bent backwards somewhat and it was quite painful for some time.

I want to thank all of you for your advice and help. It's pretty nice belonging to a board that actually tries to help, unlike a lot of boards who respond with smart assed remarks or an attempt at humor. Gee, you guys actually respond like adults, go figure .lol

Hopefully once he gets you to the place where he feels it is safe for you he can put you on the decompression table and stretch you out. They started me out at 80 lbs and I worked up to 100 lbs now. The weight in pounds is the force at which it pulls you downward. There is a harness on your pelvis and one around your thorax and the one on your pelvis gets pulled down. The pressure will separate those vertebrae and relieve some of that pressure. It pulls and then relaxes about 20 lbs, this is supposed to help pump water into the disc. It helps me I will tell you. Doing that and the inversion table at home. I go just once a week now to the chiro.

When I first went to the chiro I was getting numbness in one of my feet, and so I think it was the start of sciatica. Do you remember getting numbness for a few months or so before you have a lot of pain in your leg? The feeling you get it similar to pins and needles like when you fall asleep lying on your arm.

 

[Rocco1943]

No, Maldorph, this time I woke up in the middle of the night with achey pains in my lower back on the left side. The pain there is really bad and I also have sharp pains shooting down my right leg down to my ankle. I can't even lay down flat on the bed and have been sleeping in a recliner.

 

[maldorf]

No, Maldorph, this time I woke up in the middle of the night with achey pains in my lower back on the left side. The pain there is really bad and I also have sharp pains shooting down my right leg down to my ankle. I can't even lay down flat on the bed and have been sleeping in a recliner.

Sorry to hear it so bad. I hope you can get relief soon. I was lucky in that my xray showed no damage like you have. Maybe some others on here that have had similar injury to the discs can speak up about what was done for them. I am going to guess that you have seen an Orthopedic surgeon for examine and he gave you some opinions? What did the Chiropractor say about the discs, does he think you need surgery?

I did not get to the point where I had the pain shooting down my leg, I just had the numbness. Luckily I was able to get over that part. Now my low back just hurts and I cant do some of the exercises like I used to. Just getting out of bed in the morning can hurt like hell as I am sure you have experience 10 fold what I have.